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Canola Oil Advantages
There are several varieties of cooking oil easily available in the market, which include corn oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, olive oil and canola oil. Almost all of them claim to be the best, for cooking, as they help control the bad cholesterol and increase the good one. One type of oil that also claims to be good for the health is canola oil. What are the benefits of canola oil? As compared to some of the other healthy oils like olive oil, canola oil has a higher smoking point, which makes it ideal for cooking applications of most kinds. Some health experts also believe that there many health benefits of canola oil and compare it to olive oil. Canola oil is said to be the oil that is the lowest in saturated fat, yet it is high in certain omega 3 fatty acids.
Moreover, canola oil contains mono-saturated fats, which are found in nuts and are healthy for the heart. One of the best ways to reap the health benefits of canola oil is by using it in place of other sources of fat, like perhaps margarine or butter. However, in spite of all the known benefits of canola oil, it is still high in calories like other cooking oils and therefore, it should be used in moderation, while cooking.
Canola oil is often considered ideal for baking, grilling and sautéing. Canola oil good or bad Cooking oil can be a confusing subject, as there is so much information available that is contradictory. In spite of all the benefits of canola oil that are advertised, this particular type of cooking oil has been under attack for almost two decades now. First of all, people believe that canola oil is derived from the canola plant; however, there is no such plant called the canola plant and this oil is actually derived from rapeseed, which, in its natural form, is poisonous to human beings as well as animals.
Rapeseed oil also contains a high level of erucic acid, which is one of the main causes of heart lesions and several other health problems. Some of the common side effects that may be associated with the consumption of canola oil are disruption of the central nervous system, depletion of Vitamin E, loss of vision, anemia, respiratory illnesses, heart problems, constipation, irritability and even cancer. However, there are no studies or definite reports that support this claim. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor, before consuming this oil. What is canola oil?
Canola oil is often confused with rapeseed oil that has higher content of erucic acid, which is unfit for human consumption.
This negative association of canola oil with rapeseed oil could be due to the fact that many years ago canola oil was made from rapeseed plant. A plant similar to rapeseed plant was developed by plant breeders that contain very low levels of erucic acid. The new oil was named canola oil to distinguish it from rapeseed oil. A limit has been set by food and drug administration for the erucic acid content in oil. Canola oil has 0.5 to 1 % erucic acid content which is much below the recommended amounts. For many years rapeseed oil was used in cooking, but it has a distinct taste a disagreeable greenish color (due to the presence of chlorophyll) and gets rancid very easily. However after knowing its undesirable effects in humans, its usage was diminished.
Canola oil benefits –
Canola oil has very low saturated fatty acid and as high as 60% monounsaturated fatty acid with added goodness of omega-3 fatty acid, making the oil healthier then the other oils. Canola oil is a made up word from 2 different words – Canada and oil. Canola oil was originated in Canada and is considered the second highest vegetable oil source of omega-3 fatty acids after flaxseed oil. Canola oil like flaxseed oil contains both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, but the ratio is different. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of flaxseed oil is 0.3:1 while in canola oil it is 2:1. Canola oil is considered one of the most heart healthy oil as it has the highest ratio of unsaturated to saturated fats. Canola oil is also believed to decrease the total cholesterol levels, reduce serum triglycerides and prevent the platelets from sticking to each other. Heating canola oil above 120 degrees or more may change some fatty acids to trans fatty acids (due to high omega-3 content) that may be responsible to raise the total cholesterol levels and lower the high density lipoproteins (HDL cholesterol) or good cholesterol in the body. Canola oil is a vitamin E source and provides appreciable amounts of vitamin E (1 tbsp provides 2.9 mg of vitamin E). Canola oil is also good vitamin K source and helps inhibit thrombosis. Canola oil is not recommended along with other blood thinning drugs or supplements.
Canola oil has a neutral flavor and can be blended with other healthy oils before using for culinary purposes. Compared to other vegetable oils it blends well with vinegar and other salad dressings as it is less prone to separation.
Also, read more about benefits of vitamin e oil. What is canola oil made from?
Canola oil is extracted from canola seeds – tiny seeds that are produced by pretty yellow flowering plants that belong to the Brassica family, the same botanical family as cauliflower and cabbage. In the 1970s, this was bred in a natural manner from rapeseed, the parent plant. Often, people confuse rapeseed with canola, but both are different from each other. Canola oil facts
Speaking about canola facts, farmers in the USA, Australia and Western Canada have been growing canola for over 40 years now. Canola plants can be 3 feet to 6 feet in length and these have yellow flowers, which produce pods with about 20 small brownish-yellow or black canola seeds. And these seeds are the canola oil source. Every canola seed is supposed to have about 40 percent oil. The seeds are harvested and crushed to get canola oil that we use for cooking, while the rest of the residue after the extraction is used in canola meal – livestock feed that is very rich in protein. Health benefits of canola oil
Benefits of canola oil are well-known and many people prefer to use this oil over several others. Packed with nutrition, canola oil is supposed to have a very low level of saturated fats or fatty acids – lower than any other vegetable oil. Other canola oil benefits include a high level of monounsaturated fatty acids that are known to lower the cholesterol levels in blood. Speaking about the nutrition facts and the fatty acid content of canola oil, it has enough essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, and is rich in vitamin E. This oil is also cholesterol-free. For consumers who want to know about the health facts of canola oil, the above-mentioned information goes on to show that canola oil is a healthy oil to use and is good for people who want to cook healthy meals. This oil can not only be good for your overall health, but skin and hair can also benefit from the vitamin-E rich canola oil. Canola oil fat is good for the body and provides the required energy, while the various vitamins in the oil and the beta-carotene nourish the body. It is also believed that canola oil can slow down the process of digestion, thus, making you feel full for a long time. Some people, who haven’t used canola oil yet, wonder whether it is good or bad for them. And there are two schools of though about that. However, producers assure consumers that the quality of canola oil meets strict standards that have been laid down by the government and the industry.
Canola oil fat content
The body needs certain fats in order to absorb vitamins that are fat-soluble. Fats like omega 6 and omega 3 are important for us and must be worked into a healthy diet. Since it is important to carefully choose the fats we should eat, one must include healthy oils such as canola oil into our food and diet. Canola oil fatty acid profile: Canola oil fat profile shows that it is a healthy oil and the fats are beneficial for the human body. • Canola oil has low levels of saturated fats. This is good news because saturated fats increase the level of bad LDL cholesterol in the blood and this can increase your risk of heart disease. • Canola oil is a good source of omega 6 fatty acids. It is good for the growth of babies and is also recommended for good brain function. • This oil is also rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which prevent heart disease. • Monounsaturated fat is another ingredient of canola oil. It reduces the risk of heart disease by bringing down the levels of LDL cholesterol and keeps the level of glucose in the blood under check. • The best part is that canola oil is free of transfats. Is canola oil bad or good for you? Even though there are several health benefits to canola oil, and studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of heart disease, canola oil has still come under speculation. Some people believe that canola oil is bad for them and it has a down side to it. It is believed that the process of extracting Canola oil is not good. The process involves a mix of methods like mechanical pressing and a solvent extract that uses hexane. Like several other vegetable oils, canola oils undergoes a process that involves deodorizing, degumming, bleaching and caustic refining, all done at extremely high temperatures. Many believe that this can change the content of omega-3 in the oil, and can increase the level of transfat to 40 percent.
Another reason why canola oil is criticized is because it is processed from a hybrid version of the rapeseed plant, which contains erucic acid. So, even canola oil contains euric acid in smaller amounts. However, if you were to sum up the debate, it can be said that this issue does not really have a definite answer. Marketers and manufacturers of canola oil present the nutrition benefits of canola oil, while critics offer the dark picture to consumers and assert that canola oil is bad. Canola Oil and Vegetable Oil
You may wonder which oil is better for consumption. Should you cook with canola oil or drizzle a dollop of vegetable oil while preparing your meals. When you sit down and review the facts, you’ll find that both canola as well as vegetable oil is healthy. The important thing to remember is that you should not heat any of these oils above a specific temperature. Also, try to use less oil as too much can be harmful for your health. Canola oil and Olive oil
Olive oil has been used for several years. The oil is directly extracted from the olives and this is one of the only oils that can be consumed directly as it is freshly pressed. When comparing Olive oil and Canola oil, olive oil wins hands down because it has a higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acids. However, olive oil is more expensive than canola oil and is not as easily available.
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